Reading
I variant
I.
Read
the text and decide if the statements are T (True) or F (False).
"A
Not-So-Plain Jane from Spain"
By Jennifer
Orodocez
When Paz Vega got
the call that she'd won a starring role in a big-budget Hollywood film, she
thought the gods must be crazy. "It was shocking," she says. "It
seemed impos-sible." Vega, an onyx-haired actress from Spain, spoke hardly
a word of English. But that wasn't a deal breaker for James L. Brooks, who was
making a comedy called "Spanglish," his first film in eight years.
Vega plays Flor, housekeeper to a privileged, mixed-up family headed by Adam
Sandler and Tea Leoni. "When I got here they gave me my schedule for the
next two months, and I started to cry," she says. "I was not sure if
I could do it." And English wasn't Vega's only problem. She had to be
coached on her Spanish, too - so she could deliver her lines like a Mexican.
Brooks, a director
who is notoriously hard to please, initially hoped to find an actress with
Mexican roots, but says that Vega simply nailed the part in the five-hour
audition. "Flor's face just has to entice1 us," Brooks says. "We
have to feel like we know what she's saying, without really knowing what she's
saying." Vega says she's still hitting the books hard. Ultimately, she
would like to eliminate her Spanish accent entirely. "I don't want to play
only Latin women," she says. "I want to have roles in English."
That could take a while. In the meantime, don't be surprised if some
"Spanglish" fans start brushing up on their Spanish.
1. This is Paz
Vega's first film that she speaks English in.
2. Vega wasn't
worried about making the film.
3. Director
James L. Brooks is known as being easy to please.
4. Vega is
studying to learn English.
5. The actress
who plays Flor must have Mexican roots.
6. Vega will be
playing the starring role.
7. Adam Sandler
and Tea Leoni will be in the film.
8. Brooks was
sure she could do the job.
9. Paz will be
playing Flor, a homeowner in Beverly Hills who is the mother of two children.
10. Spanish is
Vega's native language.
II.
Read the text and choose the best answers (A-D) to answer the questions (1-5),
Why do birds sing? You might assume that birds sing because they are happy.
While birds might be happy, they sing in order to communicate. One reason
they sing is to stake a claim on territory. Birds sing to warn other birds to
stay off their property. For example, a robin might stake a claim on a piece of
land which measures about 200 feet wide by 200 feet long. This amount of land
provides enough worms for the robin to feed its family. A bird maintains
singing perches around the outside edges of its territory. The perches are high
in the trees, so other birds can see and hear it. Birds also sing to find mate.
The length and complexity of the mating song gives information about the
fitness of the bird. Healthy birds can sing longer, more complicated songs.
Birds call to one another in shorter vocalizations in order to warn of danger
and to locate one another. Birds sing instinctively. Young birds learn to
perfect their songs by listening to adult birds and interacting with other
birds. Birds in a local area might learn variations in the basic song which
help them recognize other members of their group.
1. Why do birds sing?
A To locate one
another B To warn other birds C To find a mate D All of
the above
2. Birds perch very high so...
A other birds can
hear them B other birds can see them C they can hide there D
Both A and B are correct
3. The health of a bird can be
determined...
A by the length of
its song B by the complexity of its song C by the volume of its
song D Both A and B are correct
4. Shorter bird vocalizations are...
A territorial songs
B mating songs C warning D None of the above
5. Young birds perfect their songs by...
A natural instinct
B listening and interaction C practice D Both B and C
are correct
Reading
II variant
I. Read
the text and decide if the statements are T (True) or F (False).
The Ant and the Grasshopper
While
a grasshopper was taking it easy in the shade of a willow tree one hot summer's
day, an ant struggled in the sun with a grain of rice that he was carrying out
to his nest.
“Hey,
Mister Ant," the grasshopper said. "Why don't you take it easy, like
me? You can work tomorrow."
The
ant paused. "I'm saving up food now for the cold winter ahead, and if you
know what's good for you, you'll do the same," he said.
The
grasshopper looked at the ant and laughed. "Cold winter? But Mr. Ant, it
is sunny and hot right now. It won't be winter for a long time. There is always
time to gather food, there's no need to spend your time in this beautiful
weather doing work. Come sit down with me and have some lemonade." But the
ant refused and spent the rest of the day gathering food and storing it in his
nest.
As
the days went by the ant continued to collect food, while the grasshopper
continued to rest underneath the shade of the willow tree. Three or four months
later, winter came t was very cold. While the ant was snug in his nest, the
starving grasshopper shivered under a pile of dead leaves and wished that he'd
paid attention to the ant's advice.
Taken fromAesop's Fables
1.
The grasshopper
wasn't working because he had hurt his back.
2.
The ant
gathered food all summer.
3.
The ant invited
the grasshopper to come live with him during the winter.
4.
The grasshopper
was a hard worker.
5.
The ant took a
rest with the grasshopper underneath the willow tree.
6.
The ant was
comfortable during the winter.
7.
It was easy for
the ant to carry food back to his nest.
8.
The moral of
the story is working hard will benefit you more than being lazy.
9.
The grasshopper
was drinking lemonade underneath the willow tree.
10.
The grasshopper
had plenty of food to eat during the winter.
II. Read
the text and choose the best answer (A-D) to complete the sentences (1-5).
The
sixteenth century was full of changes in Europe. The Protestant churches were
developed, Europeans began to explore the Americas, Asia and Africa, and
creativity and learning in all areas flowered. In England, the English language
grew enormously in order to express a huge number of new ideas.
At
the beginning of the sixteenth century Latin was the language of learning in
all of Europe, and it was seen as richer than English and the other spoken
European languages. Ho¬wever, with the growth of education, the invention of
printing and the new interest in learning, this began to change. More and more
people wanted to read books by Roman and Greek writers, and in England they
wanted to read them in English. So these books were translated, and other books
about learning were written in English. Using English meant that a writer could
reach a larger audience, as one sixteenth-century printer explained to a writer
who preferred Latin: "Though, sir, your book be wise and full of
learning... it will not be so saleable."
However,
the acceptance of English as a language of learning was not complete until the
end of the seventeenth century. For example, in 1687, Sir Isaac Newton wrote
his "Principia" in Latin, but fifteen years later he wrote
"Opticks" in English.
Taken
from The History of the English Language by Brigit Viney
1. In
the sixteenth century, the Protestant churches ... in Europe.
A
declined B emerged C devolved D emancipated
2. When
the author says, "Creativity and learning in all areas flowered," the
word 'flowered' means:
A
stagnated and died B continued yet struggled C grew and expanded D declined and
left
3. During
the 16th century, Latin was...
A the
language of the proletariat.
B the
language that most people spoke with their families.
C
easier to understand than other European language.
D the
language of education.
4. What
began to change the belief in Latin as the richest of the European languages?
A
education, printing and learning
B
printing, newspapers and magazines
C
education, computers and the Internet
D
learning, sports and public schools
5. When
was the acceptance of English as a language of learning completed?
A the
opening of the 15th century
B the
end of the 18th century
C the
closing of the 17th century
D the
beginning of the 17th century
Reading
III variant
I.
Read the text and decide if the statements are T (True) or F (False).
As people spend more time communing with their televisions and computers, the
impact is not just on their health, researchers say. Less time spent outdoors
means less contact with nature and, eventually, less interest in conservation
and parks. Visits to national parks peaked in 1987 and dropped 23 percent by
2006.
"Declining nature participation has crucial implications for current
conservation efforts," wrote the co-authors of the report. "We think
it probable that any major decline in the value placed on natural areas and
experiences will greatly reduce the value people place on the biodiversity
conservation. The replacement of vigorous outdoor activities by sedentary,
indoor activities has far-reaching consequences for physical and mental health,
especially in children. Watching television and computer use have been shown to
be a cause of obesity1, lack of socialization, attention disorders and poor
academic performance."
By studying visits to national and state parks and the issuance of hunting and
fishing licenses, the researchers documented declines of between 18 percent and
25 percent in various types of outdoor recreation. The decline, found in both
the United States and Japan, appears to have begun in the 1980's and 1990's,
the period of rapid growth of video games, they said.
1. Obesity is a cause of poor academic
performance.
2. This report was written by 2
researchers.
3. A declining interest in outdoor
recreation is connected with the growth of video gaming.
4. The article asserts that
conservation and socialization are equally important.
5. Over the last 20 years, visits to
national parks have stayed constant.
6. According to this article, a decline
in outdoor recreation will lead to childhood obesity.
7. The article states that watching
television has been linked to obesity and lack of socialization.
8. Over the past decades, the number of
people visiting national parks has increased by 25 %.
9. The inability to concentrate may be
a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle.
10. Interviews with overweight video
gamers were used to support this article.
II.
Read the text and choose the best answer (A-D) to complete the sentences (1-5).
Coca-Cola is probably the world's best-known taste, and was the first truly
global brand. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia,
invented the drink. He mixed the Coca-Cola syrup, which was combined with
carbonated water to make a popular soda fountain drink, in the local Jacob's
Pharmacy. The first customers, who paid a hand¬some 5 cents a glass, pronounced
the drink to be "excellent," "delicious and refreshing."
Dr. Pemberton's partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, suggested the
product's unusual name and wrote it down in his florid handwriting, feeling
that the "two C's would look well in advertising." The first
advertisement for the drink appeared in the Atlanta Journal, and hand-painted
oilcloth signs indicated which soda fountains offered the pro¬duct. This was
just the first step in a fantastic cooperation between the brand and
adverti¬sing, which has made the trademark universally recognized. A continuous
stream of slo¬gans have entered the collective consciousness, from "Drink
Coca-Cola" in 1886, the iconic "I'd Like to Teach the World to
Sing" television advertisement of 1971, right up to the simple assertion
"Real" of today's campaign.
From its original output of around nine drinks a day, Coca-Cola is now the
world's most ubiquitous brand, serving over 1.3 billion drinks every day.
1. The Coca-Cola logo comes from...
A an idea that Dr.
John Stith Pemberton had. B an advertisement in the Atlanta Journal.
C Frank M.
Robinson's belief that the name would market well. D the first customers
at Jacob's Pharmacy.
2. Coca-Cola has been advertised for
about... years.
A 90 B120 C
150 D200
3. Coca-Cola first became popular with...
A young people who
saw the TV commercials. B Dr. Pemberton's friends and family.
C
the
customers at the local pharmacy. D Frank M. Robinson.
4. Coca-Cola has become the popular and
recognized product that it is today due to...
A its cheap price
in Jacob's Pharmacy. B the first customers who drank it.
C
Dr.
Pemberton's disgusting recipe. D the brand and advertising together.
5. "Ubiquitous" means...
A delicious B
existing everywhere C important D least popular
Reading
IV variant
I.
Read the text and decide if the statements T (True) or F (False).
Once there were four children whose names
were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened
to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the
air-raids1. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the
heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles
from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house
with a housekeeper called Mrs, Macready and three servants, (Their names were
Ivy, Margaret and Betty, but they do not come into the story much.) He himself
was a very old man with shaggy2 white hair which grewr over most of his face as
well as on his head, and they liked him almost at once; but on the first
evening when he came out to meet them at the front door he was so odd-looking
that Lucy (who was the youngest) was a little afraid of him, and Edmund (who
was the next youngest) wanted to laugh and had to keep on pretending he was
blowing his nose to hide it.
air-raid -
бомбардировка
shaggy – кашлатые (волосы)
1. The four children went to live in
the house of an old Professor.
2. Lucy laughed at the old man.
3. The Professor was very old with
brown hair.
4. The children left London to live
with the Professor because of the air-raids.
5. The Professor's house was in the
centre of Cambridge.
6. Lucy was the youngest child.
7. The Professor lived two miles away
from the post office.
8. The names of the four children are
Peter, Ivy, Susan, Edmund, and Betty.
9. The Professor lived with a
housekeeper named Mrs. Macready.
10. This story is about four children's
trip to Paris.
II.
Read the article and choose the correct item (A-D) to complete the sentences
(1-5).
He is building a small house in the backyard for when their baby is old enough
to use it as a fort or clubhouse or getaway, and he wants to have three walls
up before his wife gets home. She is at her mother's house because her mother
has slipped on the ice - a skating party, Christmas-themed - and needs help
with preparations for her holiday party, planned before the accident. It's
snowing lightly, and the air is cold enough to see. He is working on the small
house with a new drill he's bought that day. It's a portable drill, and he
marvels at its efficiency. He wants to prove something to his wife, because
he" doesn't build things like this often, and she has implied that she
likes it when he does build things, and when he goes biking or plays rugby in
the men's league. She was impressed when he assembled a telescope, a birthday
gift, in two hours, when the manual had said it would take four. So when she's
gone during this day, and the air is gray and dense and the snow falls like
ash, he works quickly, trying to get the foundation done. Once he's finished
with the foundation, he decides that to impress her - and he wants to impress
her in some way every day and wants always to want to impress her - he will
need at least three walls up on the house by the time she gets home.
1. The purpose of the small house is
to...
A
allow
the man a fort to escape to. B appease the man's wife who is forcing him
to build it.
C provide a
clubhouse for the man's child. D make the man's wife happy.
2. His wife likes it when he does all
of the following EXCEPT...
A
building
things B skating C
biking D assembling telescopes
3. From the text, we can infer that 'to
marvel' is to...
A admire B question C
examine D use
4. He wants to build the small house
quickly because...
A he must build it
as quickly as he built the telescope.
B he told his wife
he would complete it while she helped her mother.
C he wants to
impress his wife.
D he wants to
finish it before the weather gets worse.
5. We can assume that...
A the husband and
wife are competitive.
B
the
husband and wife like to spend time apart.
C the wife thinks
the husband is fat.
D the husband and
wife like to do things for each other.
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